Why I love you
by Kanan
Summary: After all the fighting is done, Mia faces her fears and confesses her feelings for Ryo, but is shot down. Mia loves Ryo, and Ryo loves her back, but then what is his problem? Can he overcome his own fears before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Some marry for love. Some marry for money. And some marry to find themselves in their partner. There seem to be all of these reasons why people decide to spend their lives together… but no one really focuses on the reasons why not to.

Mia was the saddest person that day. She had been with the guys ever since the beginning, and stuck with them until the very end. She had seen each of the boy's fears, and helped them through each hard time. And now, two years after the defeat of the evil emperor and his minions, she had finally built up the courage to confront her own fears. However, the moment the words fell from her rosy lips, grief and regret began to fill her up.

She saw his head lower, preventing her from seeing his wild, blue eyes, and his face showed no emotion. He didn't show that he felt anything like what she felt for him. She was shot down, but she was not one to give up so easily.

"Ryo…"

She tried to hide her sorrow, and stepped towards him, extending her hands out to hug him, but his hands shot out to firmly hold her wrists.

"Ryo, why are you doing this? Do you feel nothing for me?"

"…"

"Ryo, I have loved you for so long… and with all that you have said and shown, I thought you felt the same!"

"…"

"Ryo! Why wont you speak to me?"

He only lowered his head more.

"I can't…"

"You can't what? Tell me… whatever it is, we can work though it!"

"No…"

"Ryo, let me help you… please, open your heart to me, just this once…!"

"No!"

Ryo forcefully let her go and stepped back. His shoulders were shaking, from what she thought was anger. Mia gasped at the sight. She could picture the scowl that lay under his dark bangs, and it cut into her heart.

"Ryo…"

"Just stop! Look, I can't love you!"

"But… but why not! If you're worried about something, then tell me!"

"You don't understand! I can't love anyone! Just leave me alone!"

And that's when he ran off. He disappeared into the woods as the sky darkened, leaving Mia to cry. After a moment, standing there, hoping he would come back and apologize, she ran back into the house and locked herself in her room, ignoring the calls of the others, who had not known about what had just happened.

An hour later, White Blaze was walking through the woods, when he found his master. He had been running the whole time, and stopped to lean against a tree. His shoulders still shook, and the tears he had tried to hard to hold in before fell down his cheeks in rivers. White Blaze went to him, and nuzzled his master's leg until Ryo responded by weakly patting his head.

"Oh, White Blaze… What have I done? I really wanted to say yes… I wanted to tell her the truth…to tell her I love her, and want to hold her until the end of the world… but…"

He choked on his words, and fell down, hugging White Blaze tightly.

"Oh, White Blaze…"


	2. Chapter 2

It was getting darker and colder, and Ryo could see the last of the lights in the house go out. Ryo watched as silence took over Mia's mansion, their home, and then he turned away and walked, White Blaze at his heels. He walked to the lake, a place he and the others often went to thin, especially Cye, and paced along the bank. He looked down into the water and he only saw pain. He was a monster. He had hurt the only one who had ever had feelings for him, and he was hurting himself, too. Damn. He was a masochist.

Kicking at the water, he moved on. The forest was quiet, but his mind was not. He thought about the very beginning of it all. It all… the war, the friendships and the hardships… Mia was there with him through it all. Did it matter if she was a little older than he was? No, that wasn't it. Was it that she was picky about keeping her house clean? No, Cye was the same way. Could it have been the way she dressed?

Ryo stopped. No, that wasn't it. He loved the way she dressed. Sure, it was a girly color, but it still looked good on her. He pictured her in her usual attire. He loved the way her jeans fit her so well, not too long, not too short, and how she would sometimes wear a shirt that came up a little when she was jumping for joy. He would secretly sneak a peak, but then he had to make up an excuse for why he was turning red. His favorite excuse was that he might be coming down with something.

That was another thing he liked a lot. Whenever he would say that, no matter what she had been doing before, she would leave her work or her food and reach over, placing a warm hand over his forehead. It was a simple gesture that she would do for anyone, but he often saw the look on her face when she did it for him. She loved doing it, and he loved her to do it. Other times, he would pretend to be sick, just to have her snuggle in bed beside him, to comfort him through the night. Ryo didn't like sleeping alone after that. However, he may have to, now that things had taken a turn such as this.

Feeling alone and sad, Ryo kept walking. He had been walking for hours, and now he could hardly recognize where he was. The important thing was, he wasn't paying any attention to where he was walking, and when he realized he felt slightly weightless, and White Blaze was growling, he gasped. Stupid Ryo… he had stepped off of a cliff. Maybe it is better, he thought. If he weren't around, Mia wouldn't have to be hurt. Yes, that was the problem. He was. He was a ronin warrior; destined to fight Tulpa and save the world. But with that responsibility, there was a good chance that he wouldn't come back alive, and Mia would be left without him. Damn, he cursed himself. HE was too late now.

Maybe not. Just in time, Ryo felt himself stop in mid-air and saw White Blaze holding onto his arm with his teeth. It hurt, but at least he was alive. Slowly, he was pulled back onto the ledge and White Blaze sat by him. Ryo seemed to be in a daze, even as he was being nudged. He nearly died there… something so simple, too. He could have died that way, or from drowning… just like he could have died in battle. Looking into his dear friend's eyes, he came to a conclusion and smiled, before getting to his feet and running off back towards the house. It had taken a life-or-death situation for him to realize that he could meet his end any way, but this way, at least he would be making a difference, and also, he had great friends to help him along the way. With a great big smile on his face and tears running down over his cheeks, he shouted to the rising sun.

"I love her… I love her… I love you, Mia!"


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was just coming up over the hills of the forested area when Ryo finally spotted Mia's large house. It took him a near-death experience to realize how weak he was, and how callous and blind he had been. He ran like the wind, matching White Blaze's running speed as he made a dash for the house.

When he was a hundred feet away, he was starting to feel the ache of his protesting body, which had been forced to run through the night to get there. When he reached the porch, he was starting to feel the relief at being home. When he had his hand on the doorknob, he started to feel anxious. He could talk to Mia, and finally tell her what he had longed to say for so very long. But… by the time he took his first step into the house, he started to feel his heart breaking.

Mia's house was silent and dark, almost as if nobody had ever been there. It was empty and dim, and that was exactly what his heart felt like. His chest was tight, and he almost couldn't breathe. Why wasn't anyone there? Ryo ran around the entire house in desperation; trying to find something, anything, to tell him where his friends and Mia were. He was running through the kitchen, his last place to look and slumped against the table in defeat. However, that's when he noticed the small note. It was from Cye.

Cye was the responsible type, and Ryo was glad that one of his friends had bothered to leave a note, indicating where they had gone off to. Though, what was written on that note only made the fist around his heart tighten, and he once again rushed out of the house with his loyal companion.

Ryo,

Mia says goodbye. We went to the airport with her. There are leftovers in the microwave. Sorry.

Cye.

Ryo was out the door in a flash with White Blaze at his heels. Never in a hundred years did he think Mia would leave his side, and he could only blame himself for acting like he did the night before. But, he was determined to make everything right again! He only hoped he wasn't too late.

At the airport, Mia hugged all of the guys and then knelt down to embrace Yuli. They were all trying to keep smiles on their faces, but they never could fool her. Yuki, however, wasn't good at saying goodbye, and he sniffled when Mia pulled away.

"Are you sure you have to go away, Mia?"

"I think I do, Yuli."

"But, you're our friend! How can you just go away?"

"Oh, Yuli…"

"He has a point. You don't have to leave, Mia!"

"Rowen, you should understand. Talpa and the dynasty has been laid to rest, and so there isn't any reason for me to stay."

"Except… to stay with us!"

"Yeah! Don't break up the team! You're one of us, and you always have been!"

Mia shook her head. Looking to Sage, she smiled. He was always the understanding one, and he didn't try to get her to stay, like the others. Of all of them, he understood her reasons for leaving, and she thanked him for that. It made leaving a little easier.

"Listen, I've gotten a job offer in the states, but this is the only chance I have to take it. I would earn more money than I do at the university here. I've left my house with all of you so you have a place to crash, but I just don't think I can let this opportunity pass by."

Yuli couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and he started bawling into Cye's shirt. The water bearer patted his head gently, trying not to cry, himself. Rowen stepped up and hugged Mia once again.

"Promise you'll come back for a visit as often as you can!"

"I'll try… Oh man, I'll miss you all…"

The moment wasn't meant to last, as the announcer's voice rang out on the loudspeaker, saying that flight 28 was now boarding. That was Mia's flight. So, Rowen let go of her and she picked up her bags. The group watched her walk to the gate, and waved until she disappeared onto the plane. After she was out of sight, all heads went down. None of them wanted her to go. Then, Cye looked down at Yuli, who was still crying, and dispelled the silence.

"We should have known… that this day was coming. Should we really have expected her to stay with us forever?"

"I don't know… This makes sense, but I still hate it."

"I want Mia to stay…!"

"Yuli… don't worry. She'll come back, someday, and in the meantime, you still have us!"

"Speaking of which, why isn't Ryo here?"

"He wasn't in his room this morning. I have no idea where he went off to."

"Poor guy… I know he had a thing for Mia. He's gonna be crushed!"

"Yeah, especially if he doesn't know she's gone."

"Well, I left him a note."

"Still, we should probably get home so we can tell-"

Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion by the window. People started gathering, and they were gasping, and pointing towards the runway, where Mia's plane was rolling towards the runway strip. Then, someone mentioned a boy and a tiger, and the ronins and Yuli ran to see. Just as people had said, they all saw a raven-haired boy riding a tiger alongside the plane. It was Ryo.

"Ryo!"

"What the hell is that crazy-head doing?"

"He'll get himself killed!"

"Ryo! Hey, Ryo!"

"Ryo…"

On the plane, Mia was crying. Saying goodbye was harder than she thought it would be, and the moment she got to her seat, the tears started falling. She didn't want to go, but the pain of being there was just too much for her to handle. It isn't easy to face what she was afraid of, Ryo not loving her, and she accepted the fact that she was running away. Mia felt horrible for doing that, but she couldn't take it all back. At least, that's what she thought.

The plane was almost to the runway when the people sitting around her started shouting. They said there was someone riding alongside the plane, and Mia's heart almost stopped. She turned her tear-streaked face to the window, and saw Ryo and White Blaze running next to the plane. He looked desperate, and was trying to flag down the plane, heading up towards the cockpit.

"Ryo! White Blaze!"

When the pilots spotted the boy and the tiger, much to their surprise, they decided to stop the plane. (Though, you should know that pilots are used to this kind of thing. It happens in a lot of romance movies) They started to slow down, just before reaching the runway, and Mia got up form her seat. A rolling stairway rolled up to the door of the plane, and Ryo got off White Blaze, completely exhausted. He had hoped she was there. When he saw her get off the plane, the biggest smile appeared on his face, and he started walking towards her.

Mia saw Ryo walking her way, but she still couldn't believe it. She thought he didn't care, but then why was he there? She approached cautiously, even though the tired smile on his face wasn't scary at all. When he got to her, he almost laughed.

"Wow… I'm glad I caught the right plane!"

"Ryo… Ryo, what are you doing here?"

"I'm stopping you from doing what I know you don't want to do."

"But I thought…"

"Listen, I know you're leaving because of how I acted last night, but that wasn't what I wanted. I know I hurt you, but now I can tell you the truth!"

"The truth?"

Ryo slowly reached out and took Mia's hands in his. He held her hands to his heart and took another step closer.

"Mia, it took a lot of courage to tell me you loved me, and that in itself proves how much stronger you are than me. I was afraid…If I fell in love with you, I thought bad things would happen to you because of it, and I didn't want you to fall into danger because of me! But Mia… I now understand that accidents happen all the time, and sometimes, there just isn't anything we can do about them! But if we're together, we can keep each other company and protect each other! I thought I lost you, a while back, but you came back, and I didn't know what I would do if I lost you again."

Mia's voice caught in her throat, and she didn't know what to say. She could only listen to his words, and feel his strong hands enclose hers. She was faintly aware that she was shaking, and his palms were sweaty. He was sweating, she could tell. He was afraid he was going to lose her, and it touched her almost-broken heart.

"Mia, losing you then wasn't any different than right now, and I see that! I don't want to lose you ever again, so please…"

"Ryo… why… why do you keep looking at me like that? Why do you say these things now?"

"Mia, you know I don't lie, and last night I said I wasn't sure if I could return your feelings. But I had a life-changing experience, and I figured it out. I know that I would miss seeing your face every morning at breakfast. I would miss the long car rides around the city and countryside; I would miss the walks in the woods… I would also miss… the smell of your perfume, and how sweet your hair smells. And I definitely would miss how you stare at me when you think I'm not looking, and how you're always so gentle and sweet… how you're strong for me when I think all is lost…"

Ryo moved his right hand and reached up to caress Mia's cheek. It was soft, but there were still trails of dried tears there. He ran his fingers over the dry streaks, making them vanish. Then, he lightly cupped her cheek and pulled her face closer.

"Mia… I'm never afraid when I'm with you. That's because… I love you. I love you with every inch of my tiger heart…"

When his lips came in contact with hers, her heart fluttered. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she melted in his arms. He kissed her softly, but deeply. It all felt so right. And when he pulled his face back, she made up her mind.

"Mia… would you please forgive a fool like me…?"

"Oh, Ryo…!"

She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his once again. She knew she could never leave Ryo, as long as she lived. She should have seen it before… love meant feeling lonely when she's not in his arms, and feeling cold all over. Love meant that saying goodbye to saying farewell, and there are always pains in love…pains she was willing to endure for him.

When they parted again, they heard people cheering. They were the people from the plane, including the captain, and looking up to the window, they saw the other ronins waving at them. Yuli was jumping up and down, and that made Mia laugh. Then, she was suddenly lifted off her feet, and Ryo spun her around. Both were laughing, and both knew they would be happy, together.

For as long as they both should live…

Owari.


End file.
